Do consider updating the central air with a heat pump. Shouldn’t cost much more at all, at least comparing high efficiency models. A heat pump is an air conditioner, except it swings both ways. With a gas furnace, it gives you the option. I rigged up Homeassistant to pull natural gas and electrical rates and figure out (roughly) what the break even is with my heat pump. And if I get a solar array, I can run it for that too.
I’m expecting to replace central air and furnace about the same time. While I’d like to go all heat pump, that’s so much more expensive to run than gas, and I don’t have enough unshaded south facing roof for solar panels to cover it.
I’d probably do the hybrid, and try to find the temperature where a each is cheaper, as you say. But they’re asking an additional $30k, which is insane. I’ll need to spend a few years saving up for that
My mom’s Bryant hybrid let’s you enter the price of electricity and gas, then automatically chooses the cheaper of the two. At like 40 degrees N latitude and $0.10/kwh, the heat pump is used about 1% of the time.
Unless you’re in a mild winter area, I’d skip the hybrid, and put the price difference into increasing the air conditioner efficiency.
They always put an auxiliary heat in with heat pump, even if it’s a cold climate one. Usually electricity, sometimes propane. So get them to put in a gas furnace. It’s exactly the same install as a conventional AC with gas furnace. It should cost more only because there’s a reversing switch. So $30k is absolute lunacy. That should cover a full geothermal solution with drilled wells and all that (which is worth it if you can pay for it but not for the average person).
My thermostat knows it’s a heat pump, and I can set a minimum threshold temperature (outdoor) at which the pump doesn’t run and it just goes straight to gas. I can set it so the gas basically alwaus kicks in
Do consider updating the central air with a heat pump. Shouldn’t cost much more at all, at least comparing high efficiency models. A heat pump is an air conditioner, except it swings both ways. With a gas furnace, it gives you the option. I rigged up Homeassistant to pull natural gas and electrical rates and figure out (roughly) what the break even is with my heat pump. And if I get a solar array, I can run it for that too.
I’m expecting to replace central air and furnace about the same time. While I’d like to go all heat pump, that’s so much more expensive to run than gas, and I don’t have enough unshaded south facing roof for solar panels to cover it.
I’d probably do the hybrid, and try to find the temperature where a each is cheaper, as you say. But they’re asking an additional $30k, which is insane. I’ll need to spend a few years saving up for that
My mom’s Bryant hybrid let’s you enter the price of electricity and gas, then automatically chooses the cheaper of the two. At like 40 degrees N latitude and $0.10/kwh, the heat pump is used about 1% of the time.
Unless you’re in a mild winter area, I’d skip the hybrid, and put the price difference into increasing the air conditioner efficiency.
Haha, I wish. 42° N. (but moderated by coast) and $0.35/kwh
…. And even if I could afford solar the first quote says I have unshaded south facing roof to cover only 46% of my current usage
They always put an auxiliary heat in with heat pump, even if it’s a cold climate one. Usually electricity, sometimes propane. So get them to put in a gas furnace. It’s exactly the same install as a conventional AC with gas furnace. It should cost more only because there’s a reversing switch. So $30k is absolute lunacy. That should cover a full geothermal solution with drilled wells and all that (which is worth it if you can pay for it but not for the average person).
My thermostat knows it’s a heat pump, and I can set a minimum threshold temperature (outdoor) at which the pump doesn’t run and it just goes straight to gas. I can set it so the gas basically alwaus kicks in
Yeah, I already use ecobee thermostats which can do that.
I can only hope they’ll continue to work until I either save that kind of money or something improves on the price